Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume warned Wednesday that Republicans “have to be concerned” about an absolute drubbing in the 2026 midterm elections.
On “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Hume pointed to the 1994 midterms, when Republicans swept to power in Congress during Bill Clinton’s presidency, as an example of the kind of wave the GOP should fear.
“The Republicans have to worry that something like that may happen to them in this race, where not only do they lose the close ones, but they lose a lot that weren’t even thought to be close and you get a big washout,” he said.
“I’m not saying it’s gonna happen, but I think it could happen,” he added.
Baier noted that current polling shows a number of “pretty tight” big Senate and gubernatorial races and highlighted a new Fox News poll showing Democrats with significant advantages when voters were asked which party would better handle foreign policy, gas prices and inflation.
Republicans are “way underwater by any number of points” on all three key issues, acknowledged Hume, who also pointed to poor polling numbers for Donald Trump.
Hume noted that Trump, who has gone on a campaign blitz ahead of Election Day, has been urging voters to act as though he is on the ballot.
“Well, that’s fine if you’re simply trying to turn out Republicans,” he said. “But the polling that we now have shows that his support among Republicans has diminished since election day.”
“And they’re also showing that his approval rating is, what? 36%? That means he might get 36% of the vote out, but 64% disapprove. That is really bad at this stage, when he’s out there front and center,” he added. “And it may raise the question in the minds of some people whether he should be out there front and center the way he is, given his standing.”